My decision to call sick was not like a bill to pass Congress, it only took a little nudge. I had some trouble with my gums prior in the weekend and the thought of them getting worse with flying, the fact I was assigned to work a trip with the crazy flower lady, and the invite for a great weekend lay before me made the case for the late night phone call.
The next morning we met on St Marks for the upcoming journey. I was assigned to a cook off team and was asked to wear a redneck costume for the meeting of the van. Only having a few hours to come up with something, I gave myself a black eye and then taped a confederate flag made from crayon to my chest with the illusion of being pregnant.
It took a couple of hours to get out the city and we hit traffic along the way but the eight hours in ol' Gertie paved the way to a fantastic weekend with many laugh-out-loud moments. We met up with Mama Sue and Don Caesar and left the pavement. Country tunes provided the perfect background music for the ride to cabin. When first told of this Redneck Weekend and a cabin in the woods of West Virginia I was ready to rough it, sleep in a tent without showering for days. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find a house in the woods with all the modern convinces. I did elect to sleep on the porch swing for fresh air and to really feel like I was out in the woods.
The Friday team made us wear togas, take multiple jello shots, and eat burgers from the grill. Afterwards we sat out on the back porch and talked into the wee hours of the morning. Drew got on a roll with telling stories and the three who were left standing loved every minute of it. The next day we donned our "Redneck Ranch" tee shirts and went into town for supplies. We headed to the local WalMart and wandered about with local eyes attempting to read and understand our tee shirts. I took this opportunity to practice my southern drawl and attempted to talk to as many locals as possible. Meanwhile across the store Beth had to translate the questions posed by our French friend with his accent. (Mind you he speaks impeccable English).
Back to the cabin and down to the creek for a little sun and cooling off in the water. Miller Lite was never far from our reach.
The Saturday team brought the elegance of the city to our cabin with a gorgeous fish dinner and the theme of pineapple through out. After dinner we played a game and then JR got his guitar out and we sang along til four in the morning.
I chose to drink Jack along with the boys so my headache was not well received. Instead Kate and I went on a high for a couple of hours and provided each other with therapy. When we returned we all got together and headed down to the creek. A little more standing in the water prior to our attempt at kayaking.
The Sunday team (including yours truly) fixed a traditional southern dish called old country boil. We started our evening off with sampling of four different kinds of Boones and the appetizers of wheat thins and cheeze whiz. Since they threw a northern in the mix, I insisted on some greenery. I made my famous Fiji apple, Gorgonzola salad. It ended up to be redneck because I forgot to pick up the correct cheese and had to substitute some serious cheddar. The main dish, the perfect finish to the weekend was laid out on table of newspaper. The fresh boiled corn, shrimp, sausage, and red potatoes was one of the best things I have ever had. Of course the miller lite made it even better. Our dessert was apples in crescent rolls with butter and cinnamon with a mountain dew over it.
Our team won the cook off hands down and was presented with aprons for our efforts. The games of horse shoes, toilet lid toss, and pumpkin spitting were dominated by JR who received a beer can telephone.
Once again we stayed up talking until the wee hours of the morning before heading back to the big city. Our drive was broken up with a stop at Cracker Barrel where I chose the chicken fried chicken with mac and cheese, apple dressing, and green beans, along with my sweet tea and biscuits.
It was the perfect weekend with good friends, good food, and many memories. I am so blessed to have a been a redneck...at least for the long weekend.
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